The Holy Friar
Physically Friar Galvão was tall, strong and elegant. When his body was dug up and examined in 1991, it was easy to see that when he died at 83, he was 1,90 meters of height, proving a tradition which had been handed down about his size.
In the book, "Frei Galvão - Bandeirante de Cristo", Maristela writes that "Friar Galvão was well built". In Itu, "he attracted attention because of his handsome and noble bearing. He was considered not only good looking, but also very holy", spoken of all over the Paraíba valley where "he was respected, venerated and known as a holy monk".
The city council members of his time considered him "very precious to the area, because everyone found in him a special help for their spiritual necessities. Among the many gifts of which he was generous, the greatest was Peace". The Senate of São Paulo also registered that "the inhabitants of this city could not stand for one minute the absences of this holy religious, who through his examples and virtues was an honor and inspiration for all his friends and all the people of this region. The Senate and the Bishop respected him as a saintly man".
When Friar Galvão died on December 23rd, 1822, his fame of holiness had spread over all of Brazil. Those who went to his burial wanted a relic to remember him by. They kept cutting pieces from his habit, which became reduced to his knees. As he only had one habit, he was clothed with another that belonged to another monk. But soon it suffered the same fate. He was buried this way, in front of the high altar at the Luz church which he himself had built.
The first head stone of his tomb suffered the same fate as his habito. Little by little, people chipped away small pieces. These pieces were put into a glass of water, to be used by the sick. Today it is very rare to find any remaining pieces.
Another sought after relic was the rope or belt of his habit. Expectant mothers in danger of death liked to use one. One is still preserved in the Museu Frei Galvão in Guaratinguetá.
Nowadays, there are many studies, works and books describing the life and work of virtues and sanctity of Friar Galvão. In all these written soucers, the great franciscan is always praised "… for those rare virtues which he practiced that caused people to hold him as a saint… dying in sanctity… his memory has been kept alive until today as a saint".